Always Best Care Senior Services

Information may not be reliable

My background is sales and sales and leadership development training.  I was fortunate, however, to be a stay at home Mom for a period.  In 2014 I started caring for my Mother who had Parkinsons and Dementia.  At the beginning of this journey I didn’t know who to turn to, what questions to ask or where resources were to help me.  I knew we needed help, so we tried hiring a couple different agencies.  But this was the person I loved the most in the entire universe and the caregivers that were sent to us, were not the caliber of person I would entrust my Mother to.  So, my Dad and I cared for her for two years with no help; I took the day shift and he, the night shift. After she passed, I knew I had been forever changed. The loss of a parent, especially when you care for them until the very end, changes you down to your very core. When it was time for me to re-join corporate America, I knew I wasn’t that person anymore.  How could I go back to selling payroll after the last “job” I had was to care for my Mother until she passed. A job I held as the highest honor. I knew my goals in life had changed and my values in life had changed. So ultimately, I went on a search for a way to give back to my community, honor my Mother and to help people age at home until the very end if they choose to do so, like my Mother did.  My journey landed me here and at 50 years old I have found my calling. So, what makes my agency different? It’s simple:

1) I ONLY hire caregivers that I would have allowed to care for my Mother. This is my measuring stick for everything I do.

2) I would ONLY place a loved one in a community I would have allowed my own Mother to live in. Again, my measuring stick.

3) I hire for the heart and train for the skills.  The problem with this industry today is most agencies place all their requirements for caregiving on skills and certifications.  We don’t. Of course, we look at those, but our number one qualification is: Do they have that special caregiver DNA? Let’s face it, you either have heart or you don’t.  I can’t teach you heart, but I sure can teach you skills. And when we find a special Caregiver, we treat them like GOLD! We bring them in as family, we find out what their goals are in life (not just professionally), we talk about ways to help them get there and we do lots of recognition. These caregivers are on an island all by themselves when they are working; we make them understand they are apart of the team and we make them feel it.  I always say, “I am going to change the world one senior at a time!” but in reality, we do more than that because we also “Change the world one caregiver at a time, too!”

4) Lastly, I am a resource to the community whether they decide to do business with me or not.  I will never allow anyone to feel the way I felt after my Mother was diagnosed; so lost, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.  So, I give people lots of information, tell them about other resources available to them.  If they are calling other places, I tell them questions to ask. I make sure NO ONE in this community, on a journey like mine, will ever feel alone. And they know where to go and what to ask. 

I am obviously very passionate about my role in St Louis. I have reason to be. And if I can help anyone care for their loved one and make life easier on their family; I will. It’s my personal commitment.

Service or product: Service